New Year Neutrals with Essie

New Year means new nails with a fresh spin on the classic neutrals – and I’ve found the perfect shades from Essie for the job. I love the taupe trend that has been floating around from last year, but I’ve found that mixing it up with some subtle mauves, rich pistachios and smoky greys adds a colourful twist for 2016. Essie has always been a brand I’ve always trusted when it comes to long wearing, chip free, pigment rich nail colours. They have so many different shades in their range but I’ve picked out five of my favourites that I’ve swatched for this blog post:

1. Sittin’ Pretty – a vibrant neon lavender. This one is the brightest of the bunch but it still has an element of neutral when only using one coat for the softest purple nails. It looks lovely with a tan if you’ve been somewhere hot for Christmas!

2. Turquoise and Cacois – a bright aqua green. When this shade first came out it was a very popular one. It’s bright but not too bright, I find it a subtle aquatic green blue which looks fresh for the new year. Now, who said the ‘January blues’ were always bad?

3. Take it Outside – a glossy putty grey. I love grey. There is something so sophisticated about a classic glossy neutral, and nothing is as neutral as this one. This is definitely one I’ll be wearing on my nails most of January.

4. Warm and Toasty Turtleneck– a soft deep mauve. A twist on the simple grey, this one is perfect for those of us still snuggling up in the turtle necks from Autumn/Winter 2015. It’s more purpley, very glossy and super stylish for the new year.

5.Parka Perfect – a shimmery ice blue grey. This one is beautiful for matching the wet weather on England. I think the best way to describe it is like a rainwater blue, very pretty, with a subtle shimmer running through the pigment for some extra shine.